Into the Eclectic Castle!
by lastcrazyhorn
Summary: Pulled into a world beyond their own, this motley bunch of Harry Potter characters must to work together to escape back into their own time! Crossover between Harry Potter and the Ayreon album, "The Electric Castle." References to rape (nothing explicit), Character death(s).
1. Welcome to the New Dimension!

_**A/N -** This is a crossover between the album, "Into the Electric Castle" (1998) by Ayreon. Clearly I don't own it or Harry Potter. And I'm not making money off of this story. That said, this album is one that I am currently a tad obsessed with. Chapters will be short, as I am posting a chapter for each song on the album. It's a dab stilted, and I can hardly say it's my best work, but it also won't leave my head and here we are. Read, don't read. I don't mind. Please, though, no flames. There will be 17 chapters. I have 10 of them written already._

 _I do, however, encourage you to listen to the album. It's technically progressive metal, but what it really is is just an epic space metal opera._

Original characters include:

Highlander (Draco Malfoy)  
Indian (Petunia Dursley)  
Egyptian (Hermione Granger)  
Roman (Tom Riddle)  
Knight (Severus Snape)  
Futureman (Harry Potter)  
Barbarian (Ron Weasley)  
Hippie (Luna Lovegood)

"Welcome into my mindscape. You are all here for one reason and one reason only. You have or have had a controlling influence over the life of one Harry Potter. This is a place beyond time, beyond existence as you understand it."

"Obey me and fear not, but disobey and expect my wrath! This is a serious undertaking, the manipulation of time and space. I will not take kindly to purposeful delays, and indeed, you will feel my displeasure."

"You are eight souls of flesh and blood, constructed from before and after the school age years of the Boy-Who-Lived."

"You have a task: To release yourselves from this Web of Uncertainty, this knotted Maze of Insanity, you must enter the magical portals of the Eclectic Castle!"


	2. Isis and Osiris

_**A/N** -My apologies for warping the Indian character so much._

[A. LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN]

"Merlin's pants! What is this place? If you're expecting me to believe this is the afterlife, then where are my parents? Where is my unborn child? This can't be one of Magic's creations," Draco cried out, unaware of the others around him.

There were lines on his forehead and around his mouth that some of the others had never seen. Shadows under his eyes that foretold of the many horrors he had witnessed, nightmares he clearly still suffered from.

"OF COURSE IT'S HEAVEN, you FOOL! Look, do you see Vernon Dursley anywhere? I've been saddled with that man for _ages!_ " An elderly Petunia Dursley spat out, her long neck bent with age.

"Draco whirled at her voice, staring down at her in astonishment.

"Didn't you hear the voice in the darkness? We have to embark on a bloody _journey!_ This is not some land of dreams, this is the beginning of the end. Some monster- _demon_ from beyond has gotten its claws into us, and you expect me to be glad of it?"

"Perhaps," Severus's cool tones broke into the moment of tension, "Someone thinks we are worthy of reward. Perhaps eternal rest requires yet another task by yet another Lord."

Draco stared at an impossibly young Severus Snape.

"YOU!" Petunia screeched, spittle flying inelegantly from her withered lips. "I don't know why God would allow you into HIS kingdom. With ME!?"

Severus scowled at her and turned away.

[B. THE HALL OF ISIS AND OSIRIS]

Tom stared around in shock, red eyes wild.

"There's no way out. We're dead and stuck here together forever. That's certainly my definition of hell. We'll be slaves for eternity down in the underworld. Magic, goddess!"

"The Egyptians would call this Yaaru, the heaven spoken of in the Christian Bible," an eleven year old Hermione observed.

"You're wrong," A curly haired Tom Riddle growled. "We're trapped here in darkness among the departed souls, and lost spirits. I can only hope that my Horcruxes will save me from the end."

"What's a horcrux?" Hermione asked, eyes agleam at the thought of new knowledge.

[C. STRANGE CONSTELLATIONS]

"Look up. There are no recognizable constellations. Wherever we are, it is not home, it is not within our known Magical realm. Even Potter, with his travels, wouldn't recognize this place, I'd wager. My wand is lifeless. There is no magical power to save us from the darkness," Draco said with no small amount of fear.

[D. REPRISE]

"This task you think we're going to be required to do is impossible, Snape. Without magic, heaven isn't worthwhile. This place is a dead wasteland, and I'm afraid that we'll soon be a permanent part of it," He added, breaking the tense silence that had fallen around them.


	3. Amazing Flight

"There is danger ahead. But don't be afraid, for though this world will feed on your fear like those things you call 'dementors,' I will be with you like magic itself. Fear will lead to hope - the colours will morph into the night. Beautiful colours, the like of which most of you have never seen. Let your confunded minds lead you into this new understanding!"

"Be gone! Be seers, be like Gryffindors... Be gone!"

[A. AMAZING FLIGHT IN SPACE]

Looking bewildered, an adult Ron Weasley stared at his surroundings with open astonishment.

"Is this some kind of bloody joke? Who's responsible for this? Is it the twins? Is it my ex-wife? I don't have to go on these ridiculous quests anymore. Harry's been gone for twenty years. Good riddance to the bastard. Said he couldn't take the limelight, the endless photo opportunities. What a bloody pansy! Too afraid to leave the house, too afraid to move on with his life. We're better off without him! Those same newspapers like to hound my steps nowadays. With Harry gone, they made _me_ head auror. You think I'm too afraid to leave the house? Too afraid to show my face in public? Ha, bloody ha!"

A serenely smiling Luna glided into the space in the middle of the throng of people.

"You are being rather uncool, Auror Weasley. But that's all right. There's no need to get uptight. Before his death, Dumbledore taught me how to make my eyes twinkle, and that along with a smile goes a rather long way. We're on an amazing flight in space, free from those nasty nargles! Well, at least _I_ am . . ." She trailed off, lost in thought.

"Something is seriously wrong with you," Ron responded, edging away from her. "If we were still in London, I'd have you committed. People listen to me, you know. I'm an important figure in the Ministry."

"Oh Ronald . . ." Luna said softly. "Still so insecure?"

"Look here, little witch. I worked hard to achieve my position. I've _killed_ men and women so that you and I could have a safe world to raise our children in. I've hunted dark wizards across entire continents. I've used my wand as a bludgeoning force more times than I can count. I'm the guy," He pointed at himself with a large thumb, "That you don't want to cross."


	4. Time Beyond Time

Harry stepped into the group of people before him, with more than a little trepidation dogging his steps.

"Some of you will understand this, while others will likely just stare in bewilderment at me." He gave a short bitter laugh. "And so what else is new? I can travel across the world, go deep underground and beyond, and yet I still find people who think they know how I am. I've been to the stations of the moon. I've been to planets across our solar system."

"Believe me when I tell you that Draco is right about this world. It's not a world at all. Every world that I've encountered has allowed at least some kind of rudimentary form of magic. That this existence is so lifeless is extremely telling of how unreal this place is. My hope is that there is a way out, for all of us," His eyes linger on the young figures of Snape and Hermione, before shifting subtly to Draco's haunted visage.

"I don't understand you at all," Severus said with more than a little suspicion. "You are a combination of both James Potter and my beloved Lily, yet I have never met you. You speak of things that are impossible, yet you clearly believe them. Who are you?"

"I assure you that knowing his identity will not help us in the least. Look around us. We are closed in on every side by gates made of iron and Death's own deadly breath. If we aren't separated from our souls already, then it's clearly the next sssstep!" Tom hissed angrily.

"Don't be afraid, Tom. I assure you, your time has not come yet," Harry answered with a smirk.


	5. The Decision Tree

_**A/N -** Ron bashing. Sorry. Not sorry._

The ground shifted ominously before something black and twisted burst from underfoot.

"Welcome to the Decision Tree! Under its ancient boughs, you will be forced to come to a conclusion. Seven of you will go on, while the eighth will die. Choose well, but only you may decide. Delay your choice and delay your return," The ominous voice spoke above and around them.

Darkness crackled down around them as the tree rose to staggering heights.

"Well," Ron boomed into the spaces left broken by the newly risen tree. "I can assure you that I will not be the one to die today. What about Malfoy? He's already broken!" He laughed.

Draco's scowl deepened at the other man's cruel words.

"Your Ministry broke the pieces of me that were left intact after surviving the Dark Lord."

"I wish I could take your pain, Draco. I do," Harry's voice was soft. "But I can't die. I've already tried more than one manner. I'm stuck here in this body for all of eternity."

"We are already dead, are we not? How else do you explain why I am able to walk after so many years being bedridden?" Petunia's voice grated on all of their eardrums.

"What is alive? What is dead? If I am to die, then I will not fight it," Luna pronounced.

"Dumbledore says that 'Death is the next great adventure,'" Hermione ventured.

"I refuse to die. You can't make me," Tom announced.

"Draco? You are too young to be fully grown. As to the subject of death, I fear that I will never be able to rest easily as long as both of my masters are alive," Severus lamented.

"Some of us grow without actually being grown, Snape," Draco responded tiredly. "I listened to my parents, to my friends, to Dark Lords and darker Ministries. I will follow them no more. I refuse to be a slave, and if that means it's time for me to die, then I will welcome it with open arms."

"For the record, I will die when you pull my beating heart from my still breathing chest. I'll go down fighting, and I'll take every last one of you with me if I have to," Ron threatened.

"The only thing standing between you and taking up the title of 'Dark Lord' is semantics, Weasley. Either that, or willful obliviousness. I'm not afraid of you, and I never was," Draco challenged.


	6. Tunnel of Light

"Take pleasure in this, my friends. The Tunnel of Light awaits your passage. Let its light burn brightly through your souls, taking away the stink and terror of death from each of you. Come. It's time to make your choice."

"I don't know life without fear. I don't know if I could live in a life like that," Draco admitted, sitting down and shielding his eyes from the bright lights around them. "I've hidden in the darkness for far too long to suddenly attempt to live without," He whispered softly.

"There is no light without darkness," Was Hermione's surprisingly astute observation.

"No death without fear," Tom added in a whisper, staring uncomfortably at Draco's hunched form.

"It was always safest in the dark for me, young Malfoy," Severus offered. "Free from prying eyes."

"But now we're in this Tunnel of Light, and everything is bright. Maybe it's supposed to represent hope?" Hermione asked, her brown eyes attempting to look everywhere at once.

"Fear I can understand, but hope is an empty dream. It's a drug that feels like the Imperius, and leaves you feeling just as bad afterward," Draco answered, tears leaking out of tired grey eyes.

"I can take the despair; it's the hope I can't stand" Hermione quoted*.

"Hope is something my enemies tend to have. It's too dangerous for me to keep around though," Tom spat, crossing his arms defensively.

Severus crouched beside Draco and grasped his hand.

"It would be ironic in the extreme to spend your life in the darkness only to die in the light," He whispered softly into Draco's ear.

"One has to be careful in the sun, you know. One never knows when one might be taken apart by a heliopath," Luna said. "They hide in the light, you know."

"Heaven is supposed to be constructed out of light. There's no reason to be afraid of something so pure and good!" Petunia decided.

Harry merely lifted his hand and allowed a glowing stag to flow out of his outstretched fingertips.

"My guardian is made of light, Draco. May he stand by your side as long as you have need of him," Harry said.

The stag glowed with an ethereal beauty that even managed to cast shadow into the bright lights of the tunnel around them.

"I thought we couldn't do magic?"

Harry smiled at Hermione and shrugged.

"I happen to have a talent for doing the impossible," He offered.

"I-thank you," Draco answered, reaching out with his free hand to touch the stag. "It's corporeal?" He gasped in surprise.

"The best guardians are," Harry answered.

"I . . . perhaps he will let me rest in his shadow?" Draco asked, hand slipping from Severus' grasp. "I am . . . so very tired."

* * *

*BRIAN STIMPSON, Clockwise (1986)


	7. Across the Rainbow Bridge

"Look ahead, dear travelers! The Rainbow bridge emerges from the dusk. It's as fragile as a dream and yet so strong. Dare you step on it and test your mortal lives with its twisted beams? Or will you fall into the depths below?"

Severus stared at the fallen body of a man he had only known in passing. He ducked his head and allowed his hair to drift into his eyes as he resolutely took the first step out onto the bridge.

"I think of a woman I once held dear," He whispered, unaware that the group around him could hear him. "Our moments together were endless and yet far too brief. Happiness was as fleeting as the summer wind, for far too soon the winter arrived and took her from me."

Squinting across the brightness, Tom followed Severus.

"I believe I see our destination on the other side. Given the choice, I'll just as soon press forward," He added, sneaking a glance back at the body they had left behind.

"If falling through would let me see her face again, then I would gladly fall. I would fling myself off the edge and welcome eternity with open arms," Severus' lips trembled as he spoke. "Only in my dreams am I allowed to see my beloved. Only in my dreams am I allowed to hold her and breathe in the scent of her forgiveness."

"I would hesitate to die so easily," Tom said. "Then again, I would also hesitate to dare and love so much."

"This place is so very magical for being so magicless," Luna danced beside them, pirouetting absentmindedly here and there. "I do believe that I can nearly taste the colours swimming past my brain. Pumpkin spice, chocolate frog, icy mint and sour lemon. Perhaps they are right about not eating before bed? Perhaps I have caused this dream on my very own?"

"The Eclectic Castle rests just ahead! Go, try your chances in its hallowed halls. Or stay here and languish in your memories. The choice is easy enough. Make your choice! Be brave and forge ahead. Rewards exist for the daring and suffering for the weak . . ."

"I will suffer regardless. Thus is my lot in life," Severus mourned.


	8. The Garden of Emotions

_**A/N -** Warnings for Biblebeater!Petunia. _

"Ah, see! The Star Towers of the Eclectic Castle! Look how they fill the sky! How small you are in comparison, found wanting within its shadows. But first, you shall wander through the Garden of Emotions. Breathe deep of their intoxicating pollens. Let your suppressed feelings break free among the seven of you. Do please feel free to become hopelessly lost within its bewildering heights."

[A. IN THE GARDEN OF EMOTIONS]

"If this is all a dream, then what have I to fear from my fellow travellers?" Luna asked into the silence.

"I don't think I like this garden," Hermione said, edging away from an insistently creeping vine.

"We're on a trip through space. To free our thoughts from growing mold within our heads," Luna declared.

"There are . . . too many of them," Hermione squeaked, as several vines wrapped around her arms and legs. "So c-c-cold. And agh! Hot! And I hurt. My heart, God my heart!" She screamed, tears gushing down her pink cheeks.

[B. VOICES IN THE SKY]

"Don't touch her!" Tom Riddle warned, backing away from the girl surrounded by the mass of vines. "They mean to drag us all down!"

"Why should we listen to you? Some random guy who's afraid of death? I've heard your words. I've heard your fears. Who are you to boss me around?" Ron spoke out indignantly.

"I have the experience," Tom hissed, drawing himself upright in front of the other man.

"So do I," Ron growled back. "But your words don't mean squat to me, little man!"

"Little?" Tom growled. "I am Lord Voldemort. And I assure you, I do not require magic to send you to your death!"

"You couldn't tear the wings off a fly," Ron scoffed.

"I only kill idiots," Tom grinned cruelly. "And luckily for me, there's one right in front."

"You could try and get your arse handed to you just that much more quickly."

"God will kill you both should you try and use violence to get your way!" Petunia warned.

"Come, we can make a run for it together!" Tom shouted, drawing them away from the increasing vines.

The heavy air around them seemed to soak into their very lungs, making every move seem just that much more important.

"And I think that we shouldn't give up so easily!" Ron shouted back. "We can kill them and take back what's ours."

"Kill? Are you lacking in brain cells?" Tom scoffed, ignoring the surprised snort from Snape. "These things aren't alive. There is no life here except for those figures standing around you."

"If you don't listen to me now, I will break your neck with my own hands," Ron growled, stalking toward him.

"You're willing to risk all of our lives over your own idiotic pride?" Tom asked.

"Who cares about your lives?" Ron laughed.

"Exactly why no one should listen to you," Tom spat, waving his hand at the other man in a negligent manner.

"Run away then, little Voldemort. I don't need to bow down to you!" Ron yelled.

"Murder goes against God's laws!" Petunia screeched.

[C. THE AGGRESSION FACTOR]

"Both of you are terrified and angry. I won't listen to either of you!" Petunia decided.

"This garden is something else entirely. It seems to augmenting our emotions in a dangerous fashion, almost like dementors. Like those foul creatures, it might be feeding on our negative emotions," Harry said, thinking aloud.

"The loudest of our emotions break free without our trying. We must find a way to close our minds against it," Severus suggested quietly.

"If what Tom says is true, then it makes sense that this is some kind of computer system that has drawn us in. And though it would appear that it is in control, I suspect that we can fight back," Harry added.

"Angry and cold. Fearfully spewing threats. Flippantly inane," Severus concluded, glancing toward Luna.

"God's spirit is here with us now, listening and judging this blasphemy," Petunia hissed.

"If we ever want to leave this place, we must learn to free ourselves from anger and aggression," Harry stated loudly in the direction of his vanquished enemy and once friend. "It's the only way to fight this emotionless machine. If we want to leave this place, I suspect we will have to find a way to work together," He added with a sigh.

Hermione's whimper was barely heard over the cursing of her travel companions.


	9. Valley of the Queens

"So many emotions, so many broken spirits. So many ills suffered, so many fallen dreams. So many hopeless nights. So many searing thoughts. So much screaming, so much screaming," Hermione whispered, staggering blindly through the Garden of Emotions. "So much screaming, so many terrors. Monsters around every corner, nothing true, nothing pure."

She tripped over a root protruding from the ground and dropped like a rock. The vines, now having fulfilled their purpose, began to wriggle away back into the darkness.

"I can't see the light. It never has warmed so little. I can't see the ground, it never has hurt so much," Hermione rambled, completely unaware of her surroundings.

"The books are blank. The library is bare. My home is vacant. My heart is . . . nowhere."


	10. Into the Electric Castle

"Congratulations on reaching the Eclectic Castle. Within its hallowed halls, the shadows of the past wait to confront you. Oh, how I pity those purveyors of violence! You who have killed, you who have tortured, beware! The Eclectic Castle reaches past the barriers of death and brings your personal horrors to life."

Tom and Severus glanced at one another uneasily as they entered the strangely named castle.

Ron Weasley's eyes were particularly wild as they entered the chilly hall.

"What kind of place is this?" He exclaimed in a breathy whisper, wand held in front of him in a white knuckled grip. "Do you see? That man over there? Merlin, that's Dean Thomas. He died at my wand. He was running from me and hell!"

Ron's eyes were wide and he slowly spun in a circle. Around him, the shadowing forms of men and women began to slide down the walls and coalesce around them like a murderous mob.

"Wizards and witches I have killed," Ron breathed out. "You are all dead! We have no business left to discuss! Leave me be!" He screamed.

The mob began to laugh. Some of their bodies were mangled, and Harry was suddenly reminded of a Deathday party he had attended so very many years ago.

"And what of us?" Shadowy women began to push forward.

One woman surged forward in front of the rest and slammed her hand into his chest. Ron was propelled backward by several meters, and his already white face took on a greenish hue of pain as he slammed back first into the rough cobblestones.

"That's not . . . that's not possible! You aren't dead!" Ron screamed, slowly making it to his feet.

"Am I not, Ronald?" An older Hermione snarled back. "Remember when you raped me in Knockturn Alley? And you bashed my head into the wall until it bled? Remember how drunk you got afterward? You stuck me to the wall and I bled out over the course of the night. I am dead and you killed me. You raped me. You cursed me and sliced me open. My body was unrecognizable to the aurors assigned my case. They never made the connections between me and your missing wife." Hermione's face began to show dark mottled bruises and her limbs began to break before their eyes.

Ron's face was no longer the only sickened visage in the room. The other travelers began to back away from him, only to be caught again in their own past horrors.

"Lily," Severus called out desperately. "I'm sorry. Please come. Please listen."

A horde of living ghosts pressed him and Tom backward toward the wall.

"Remember murdering me? Remember tearing my flesh from my bones? Do you recall giving the order to have me tortured by that madwoman?" The dead men and women pushed into them, insane anger dancing in what remained of their eyes.

"Your potions boiled me from the inside out," A man slid up to them, his body a slushy mess of blood and bits of broken bone.

"Gods," Severus choked out, covering his mouth with a hand.

Hands reached for them even as Tom began to try to cast spells with his wand.

"Can't use your death stick anymore, now can you!?" A woman cackled, nails slicing down his face.

"Murderer! Murderer!" The savage crowd cried out, deathly white and grey hands pulling at their robes and cloaks.

"I call upon the sword, the mighty sword of Gryffindor! Grant me the skill to fulfill our quest!" Harry's voice rang out in the chaos.

"I call upon the Knights of Walpurgis!" Tom's voice had a slightly hysterical edge to it that none present had ever heard before. "Grant me the protections to withstand this test!"

"I call upon the seer, Merlin the sorcerer!" Severus screamed above the still shrieking shadows snarling around them. "Grant me the magic to end my pain! I call upon the spirit that lives in a noble heart, grant me the passion that's within my veins!"

A woman with no eyes grabbed him by the hair and began to pull him into the madness when suddenly the sound of a deep gong reverberated through the place. A moan went up among the dead and suddenly the hand in Severus' hair loosened. He scrambled backward, grabbing at Tom Riddle's robes in a way that would normally have embarrassed him.

A presence of pure magic reasserted itself around him. The weight of it was overpowering, and Severus felt his knees buckle. The air became liquid and all of the travelers felt as though they were drowning in sensation.

Then abruptly the sensation was gone. When Severus opened his eyes-unaware of ever having closed them-he discovered that they were alone in the vast hall.


	11. Tower of Hope

"From the icy cold ramparts surrounding the Eclectic Castle, we can see a thousand futures. Stand atop this Tower of Hope and leave behind the despair of your combined horrors. Believe in your future, and choose to let that fuel your hope."

"My," Luna piped up. "These are certainly a great number of stairs up to the Tower of Hope. I can already taste the hope!"

"Luna," Harry began before shaking his head. "I'm curious," He glanced at her and the others they still had with them.

Ron was just shy of being catatonic, and the others didn't look much better. His aunt had tear tracks on her cheeks, and if he were still the same boy he had once been, he might have felt sorry for her. Probably.

"Yes, dear Harry?" Luna asked.

The corners of Harry's mouth lifted without his input.

"Can you feel the magic still? Draco," Harry frowned and paused briefly on his step. "What Draco said about this place being dead to magic was correct. At least, it was. What was that bit we did in the castle? We called something forth and it stayed."

"For better or worse," Luna quipped, her eyes distant. "Even if the magic is back, it's not the same. My wand is still dead wood in my hand," She added in a whisper.

"We're still in this dreamscape, but we've changed it just by being here," Harry answered, taking the steps again at a faster rate than before.

"Maybe that's what the voice meant when it said we should let hope take root," Luna suggested with a strain in her voice.

"I suspect this tower is going to be as hard to get out of as the dungeons of Hogwarts," Harry said. "Notice how we haven't felt the need to eat or drink while in here?"

He felt Tom's and Severus' eyes shift onto him as he spoke.

"It's almost as if we're in some sort of suspended state," He said, teeth worrying at his lip. "It might feel like only a moment in here but be years in the outside world."

"Do you think that the voice can see into our minds? I don't have my radish earrings or my cork necklace. We don't have any protection at all," Luna said, speaking more to herself as she continued.

"Seems like it is," Harry shrugged helplessly.


	12. Cosmic Fusion

[A. I SOAR ON THE BREEZE]

"Goodness, that sun is bright," Petunia remarked.

They had reached the top of the stairs, only to find themselves standing at the edge of a precipice that seemingly looked out into space. Their clothes riffled in the strong breeze.

Shielding her eyes, she craned her long neck out. "It certainly is pleasant to look at, don't you think? Nothing like that freaky stuff that boy used to do. Far more natural. Ethereal. My oh my, is it getting bigger? I feel as though it is calling for me. Perhaps, oh goodness. God will come down in a ball of light, don't you think?" She muttered to herself as the light did indeed become bigger and brighter before them.

"That's not the sun, Mrs. Dursley," Harry argued, trying to draw her away from the edge.

She shook off his hand and glared in his direction. "Perhaps if you cannot see it, then it is not meant for you," She spat, uncaring of why he knew her last name.

Tom raised an eyebrow at her words, and added, "I suspect that it will kill you should you try to go into it."

"Of course!" Petunia giggled, patting her hair and checking her dress for wrinkles. "All the shows always said you should head for the light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps they merely meant the light at the top of the stairwell!" She snickered to herself, uncaring of how those around her recoiled at the sound.

"It is clearly meant for me, as I am for it. Can't you hear the sounds of bells within its glorious light!?" She laughed again and then before anyone could say a word, she leapt towards it.

"Mrs. Dursley, don't!" Harry cried, grasping at thin air.

[B. DEATH'S GRUNT]

Abruptly the light's warmth vanished, and a cold sensation crept into their hearts-not unlike the chill of a horde of Dementors.

"I am cold. I am rot. I am rebirth. I am the cold wind in the winter and the burning one in the summer," A dual toned voice rumbled within their minds. "I am the source of rest, and the cause of torment. I am the forgiver of sins, and the fire behind them. I am the sun. The light that pulls and gives. I am your fate, awaiting your arrival at my gate. Even you, Harry Potter, will someday know your final breath!"

[C. THE PASSING OF AN EAGLE]

Above them, at the spot that the sky met the nothingness, an eagle screamed overhead.


	13. The Mirror Maze

"Unlike the Mirror of Erised, this next plane of existence will reflect your true selves, without the conflicting restrictions of your various civilizations," The Voice in the Darkness said derisively. "What shall we see, I wonder? Will the hero truly be that within himself? Will the mad one be so muddled within her own mind? I do hope you enjoy my Mirror Maze . . ."

[A. INSIDE THE MIRROR MAZE]

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest one of all?" Luna murmured to herself as they stepped into the room that had appeared in place of the empty void.

She stopped so suddenly that Tom Riddle ran into her back and bounced off with a growled curse. He spun in an effort to keep from falling, only to fall to a knee as the mirrors came into view. His red eyes went wide, and a faint choking sound came from his mouth.

"Look," Luna whispered her hand coming up to lightly touch the image in front of her. All appearances of dreaminess disappeared from her countenance as she watched the mirror. "That's me. I'm so very alone. Mummy dead, Daddy mad."

Her face morphed into a moue of sadness.

"So lonely. So miserable," She smiled sadly. "Easier to make friends with the creatures in my dreams than the people in my life. My creatures don't curse me; they don't laugh or point or jeer."

"Our secret fears are being broadcast for the entirety of those with us," Harry growled, unable to stop looking at the multitude of images spread before them.

"No one ever told me, ignore your reality for ours," Luna said in a slightly louder voice. "They only told me that I didn't belong, and after awhile, I believed it too."

[B. THROUGH THE MIRROR]

"Do you see that boy there?" Tom whispered to no one, pointing at his younger self in the mirror. "Everyone in his world is against him. They tried to scare him into obedience, and when that didn't work, they turned to violence. He's so little, so bereft of hope," His voice broke.

Severus' eyes narrowed as he watched the madness that his colleagues had fallen into. Whether it was his occlumency shields or perhaps the lasting touch of Merlin's magic, he didn't know, but it was obvious to him that he was far less entranced than the others.

Choosing to focus on his former lord's words, he answered with, "Our younger selves still reside within each of us, but that doesn't mean we have to listen to all their fears."

"You don't understand. They're all watching me, all surrounding me. That isn't the me then, it's the me now!" Tom Riddle shouted.

"You are not there now. You are in an altered void of reality, and those images are not real," Severus argued, grabbing the other man by the bicep and pulling him to his feet.

His eyes narrowed as he took in the carefully constructed images in front of him. Something was wrong, and although he wasn't unable to put his hunch into words, he knew that they needed to move forward.

"Don't you see?" Tom pleaded. "The darkness within the muggles' hearts? The violence that lurks within? They have surrounded us and will finally finish what they started so many decades ago!"

With an animalistic growl, Severus abruptly surged forward, pulling the other man with him. Around them, the sound of glass shattering filled the air as the miserable images broke apart.

The room they had escaped from was fading into the darkness once more. In front of them stood a field of green, and at the far end stood two mighty gates.

"Dear sweet Merlin," Tom gasped from where he had fallen onto the grass, his face pressed into the ground as his entire body shook. "I have not felt such fear in eons. A boggart has nothing on that room, nor a Dementor. That was . . . the most terrified I have felt since learning I was a wizard."

"Those false images were warping our senses. I suspect that had we stayed there much longer, our very existences would have been obliterated," Severus mused. "It is folly to hope that this is the end of it, but I cannot help but do so."


	14. Evil Devolution

"Hello, Harry Potter. Yes, I know who you are. The-Man-Who-Can't-Die, isn't it now? Such a sad fate for a man so desperate to save everyone at the expense of your own life. Except that a sacrifice doesn't mean so much when you aren't actually dying yourself. How many lives have you saved only to outlive them just a short while after? How many years has it been now? One hundred? One thousand?" The Voice laughed. "I know you are wondering about me. Am I your future? Or am I your past? Are you man enough to ask?"

"I would hope that I never outlived my need to feel," Harry said in a low voice. "Are you some sort of man-machine configuration? I've seen the science behind it, but the thought has always horrified me. Was this your solution to achieving immortality? If so, you aren't human, because one of the trademarks of humanity is our ability to experience emotions."

Harry glanced at the other four figures around him. Ron seemed to be half-frozen, his mouth open and his mind vacant. The other three were watching him intently, with varying degrees of confusion.

"Even in my time in the future, that stands true. If our progress results in the obliteration in the basic tenets of our species, then I will fight against it with every core of my being ," Harry swore.


	15. The Two Gates

"And here you find two gates-portals, if you will.. One gate brings you back around, through to your own time and dimension. The other cuts you off from all things, delivering you through to oblivion. Talk amongst yourself, I won't mind. Your combined wisdom will help you decide, should you choose to employ it. Only a truly brave soul will make that first choice," The voice said tauntingly.

"These gates are about as different as they could be," Ron observed, aware once more. "One full of riches and the other about as sturdy as my mum's old chicken coop," He added with a laugh. "I daresay it might collapse on me should I touch it. The gold one shines as brightly as the contents of my own vault."

"I can assure you that I shall not be following you anywhere," Tom sneered to Ron. "Go ahead and make your choice."

"Can't you hear those poor saps crying for mercy behind that old crumbling gate? Perhaps they are the souls of those who have been crushed underneath its rusted arch?" He laughed. "You can't trick me into taking the dangerous way. Heroes might want feel the urge to follow the rough path, but my feet are only meant for luxurious things. As for you following me," He scowled toward Tom. "Don't bother. I work alone."

He strode forward in complete confidence and pulled the golden door open with a strong arm. It moved easily on its hinges, and he smiled. Clearly this was the correct door for him.

The other four behind him watched with little surprise as he quickly faded into the darkness.

"Where are the lights? Surely there should be cameras waiting for me on the other end? And feasting and fine food?" Ron wondered into the darkness that weighed heavily upon his shoulders.

"Why is it so quiet?" His breath caught in his lungs and he began to wheeze. "Why can't I breathe? No one can see me here. I'm meant to die in glory, to have my death publicized and watch from the afterlife as society mourns me!" He shrieked in silence as the blackness crushed him into nothingness.

Severus looked away from the golden gate and stared contemplatively as the ancient one.

"Clearly, our journey is about to be at an end. I find myself wondering why all of this was necessary? Was there a purpose to all of this, or were we just a passing amusement to fill your time?" He asked of the sky, not really expecting an answer.

"Who are you? He," Severus glanced at the grown man who shared so much resemblance with James Potter. "Seems to understand the most about you without having any real clarity. I, on the other hand, understand very little about what you are and how you came to be. Are you a god? Or a Dark Lord? Why did you bring us here? If we survive, does that make us the winners of this morbid game? I admit, I have not been amused or entranced by this experience. You asked if we were man enough to try, well, I wonder if you are man enough to show your face?"


	16. Forever of the Stars

**_A/N -_** _Bit in italics (below) are direct quotes. It's such a good speech. I just screwed with it a little._

 _"I am of the stars. I am called "forever". Eternity courses through my veins. It is cold beyond your sun where we come from. We seed the universe with the milk of a million moons. You are that seed. Your earth is our experiment. We vanquished the dinosaurs with the careless trajectory of a child's lost meteorite. We peopled your planet to experience your emotions - such feelings lost to us aeons ago. How we envied you your loves and passions, your dangerous desires. The fires of your emotions gleamed like lost beacons in the darkened depths of the fathomless universe. And eight of you, plucked from Time. Not randomly, you understand,_ but representatives of those surrounding the first and second wizarding wars. All of you connected to Harry Potter. All of you contributing-whether purposely or not-to his becoming the Master of Death. The first true immortal that we have witnessed since becoming so ourselves. _We have observed your tribulations from nameless nebulae. The experiment is over. I am weary now. So tired. I too am far from home. Open the gate - complete the circle. You won't remember - you won't recall - for I am only the air that you breathe, after all..."_


	17. Another Time, Another Space

_**A/N -** regarding my other stories (since this one is now complete), I had a hard drive crash a few months ago and subsequently lost the majority of my notes. I know, I know. We all know better than to only save in one place, and yet we still do it. _

"Was I dreaming just now? Something about a gate, and men with dark eyes and . . . and, I can't grasp it. The memory of the dream is slipping through my fingers like water. But if it was a dream, why was it so vivid?" Luna said, awaking within her bedroom.

Harry awoke within his spaceship and looked around in confusion.

"What-what just happened? Something happened, something completely new. There was a face, but it was hidden in the darkness? And," He frowned at the emptiness in his memories. "Was I obliviated? Did someone erase my memories?"

"I remember Luna being there. I suppose that shouldn't have surprised me, but the feel was wrong. Time was twisted around us . . ." Harry muttered to himself.

"I've never not remembered a dream. My dreams have always been more real than the rest of my life. Why am I not remembering this one? Does that mean it was real?" Luna reasoned aloud.

"The horrors of my childhood seem strangely muted as of late," Tom said into the darkness of his bedroom. "Perhaps magic has decided I've suffered enough. Perhaps she approves of my plans to move forward as Lord Voldemort." He smiled. "I was too afraid to move forward before, but now it seems as though a great burden has been lifted off my shoulders."

Severus stared at his potions lab in disbelief.

"The gate opened and we were supposed to forget, but I didn't. I remember everything. That man that looked so much like James Potter . . ." He trailed off and covered his eyes with his hand. "The Boy-Who-Lived. Merlin, but he's still a small child. At least, right now he is. What did the voice mean about his being the Master of Death?"

A cold whisper caressed his mind.

 _Remember . . . forever . . ._


End file.
